Navigon 1210 Sat-Nav - Navigon 1210

Score

Sections

Routes can be calculated according to a variety of ‘Speed Profiles’, including Fast, Standard or Slow cars, motorbikes, lorries, bicycles or pedestrians. You can also choose the fastest, optimum, shortest or most scenic option. In the map view, you can tap on a road and choose Block to reroute around an impassable obstacle or stationary traffic jam. So most routing configurations are supported.

The navigational screen includes a surprising number of the latest bells and whistles. Whilst the full graphical view of an upcoming junction (which Navigon calls Reality View Pro) is reserved for more premium models, you still get a useful graphic telling you which lane to be in (this sits on the corner of the screen rather than filling its entirety). The full view only pops up on major motorway junctions, and not very often in our experience. Navigon is calling this cut-down version Reality View Lite. You don’t get the 3D Landmark system included with the 7210 either, albeit of questionable usefulness anyway. But this can be added for £14.99 via the Fresh service.

A speed camera database is included, although unlike other sat-navs you have to manually enable this before warnings are displayed. This is because this feature is illegal in certain countries, such as Switzerland. Updates for three months after purchase are included, after which you will need to purchase a Navigon Fresh online subscription. The 1210 also warns when you exceed the speed limit for the current road by a given amount. This can be set separately for built-up areas and extra-urban roads, and is user configurable. The verbal warning itself is rather comical, however. Instead of a simple ‘ping’, the sat-nav tells you to ‘Beware’.

However, the one downside with the 1210 is just how much Navigon has attempted to pack into its compact 3.5in screen. At certain times you will have a next turning icon, lane guidance, current speed, ETA, distance remaining, current road information on the bottom and next road listing at the top, so there isn’t much space left for the map itself, although this is an occupational hazard for smaller, non-widescreen sat-navs. Navman’s S30 3D has a similar problem.